Cover supports for burial caskets



Oct. 30, 1962 w. K. NELSON 3,060,546

COVER SUPPORTS FOR BURIAL GASKETS Filed March 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. 214% A4 ma BY 24%.... 6M

Oct. 30, 1962 w. K. NELSON COVER SUPPORTS FOR BURIAL GASKETS Filed March27, 1959 United States Patent Otiice 3,060,546 Patented Oct. 30, 19623,060,546 COVER SUPPORTS FUR BURIAL GASKETS Walter K. Nelson,Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to National Casket Company, Boston, Mass, acorporation of New York Filed Mar. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 802,432 1 Claim.(Cl. 27-18) This invention relates to new and useful improvements incover supports for burial caskets and it is among the objects thereof toprovide a combined mounting bracket and slide for a supporting armhinged to the cover or casket top which shall be of simple and compactconstruction and will shield the casket interior cloth lining fromcontact with the operating parts of the support.

Heretofore, the casket top support consisted of two arms that werehinged to the casket body and to the casket lid or cover at the ends ofthe casket, the arms collapse in the center at a hinge connection topermit closing the cover. The hinged portions of the support would catchthe interior cloth materials of the casket and would mar and soil themand such hinge arms further required two persons to close the casketlid, since they were attached to opposite ends of the casket and couldnot both be reached at the same time.

In accordance with the present invention, the cover or top supportconsists of a curved arm secured at one end to the casket lid by a pivotconnection and movable at its other end in the slide of a metal bracketattached to the casket body to elrninate contact of the arm with thecasket interior.

The invention will become more apparent from aconsideration of theaccompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like referencecharacters designate like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a burial casket embodying a casket topsupport and slide in accordance with the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view of the metal bracket or slide and a portionof the cover supporting arm;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the slide bracket andarm of FIGURE 2, partially cut away;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view, partially in crosssection, of theslide and arm taken on the line 44, FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5, a cross-section, partially in elevation, taken on the line 55,FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6, a front elevation of a roller disc and a portion of the coversupport arm; and,

FIGURE 7, a cross-section through the slide taken on the line 77, FIGURE3.

In the several figures of the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a casketbody having a top flange 2 and a cover 3 hinged to the body at 4. Inaccordance with the present invention, the cover 3 is supported in itsraised or open position by an arm 5 that is hinged to the cover at 6 andis slidingly mounted in a sheet metal bracket 7.

As shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 7, the sheet metal bracket 7 is providedwith a dovetail slide 8 in which is disposed a roller 9 journaled by arivet 9a to the arm 5. The roller 9 may be a non-metallic disc thatrolls in the dovetail shaped slide 8 which functions as a guide for thearm in its up and down movement.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, the arm 5 is curved at 11 to provideclearance as it moves in the dovetail slide 8 when the casket cover 3 israised or lowered. The arm 5 is provided with inturned flanges '12 and13, FIGURES 3 and 4, which abut the edge 14 of the peripheral flange 2of the casket 1. The slide bracket 7 is provided with flanges 15 and '16which pass through slots 17 provided in the top body flange 2 and arefolded back on themselves, as shown at 18, FIGURE 5, and are secured byscrews 19. This firmly holds the sheet metal brackets 7 along the edgeof the casket in the manner shown in FIGURE 1.

With reference to FIGURES 3 and 4, it will be seen that the flanges 12and 13 abut the edge 14 of the top body flange 2 when the cover 3 is inits raised position and this view also shows how the roller 9 of the arm5 slides in the dovetail guide 8.

After the sheet metal brackets 7 and arms 5 are assembled at each end ofthe casket and cover, as shown in FIGURE 1, the interior finish isapplied which consists of the fancy cloth material that is attached tothe casket in the conventional manner. This cloth material covers themetal bracket 7 entirely, no part thereof remaining visible.

It is evident that in opening and closing the cover 3, the rollers 9 ofarms 5 alone contact the metal bracket '7 and rollers 9 move freely inthe dovetail slides 8 and when the cover 3 is in its raised position,the flanges 12 and 13 of the arms 5 abut the edge 14 of the top bodyflanges 2 and hold the .cover in that position. The center of gravity ofthe cover is such that in its raised position there is no tendency forit to drop to the closed position and the weight of the cover more orless rests, to some degree, against the abutting flanges '12 and 13 ofthe arms 5.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 6, the top of the rivet 9a that journals wheel9 is level with the flanges 12 and 13 to allow abutting contact of theseflanges with the edge 14 of flange 2.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated anddescribed, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

A plurality of cover supports for a burial casket, said casket having aperipheral flange extending inwardly, said supports comprising curvedarms and straight vertically disposed dovetail shaped roller slides,said arms being pivotally connected at one end on the inside of thecasket cover and said arms having a roller mounted at their other endsfor movement in said dovetail shaped slides to guide said arms in theircover opening and closing movements, and said arms having inturnedflanges at the roller supporting end to act as a stop against the casketperipheral flange when the cover is in raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 81,477Cohen Aug. 25, 1868 1,662,048 Victorsohn Mar. 6, 1928 1,917,152 PhelpsJuly 4, 1933 2,085,682 MacDonald June 29, 1937 2,811,273 Holmes Oct. 29,1957 2,848,783 Keller et al. Aug. 26, 1958

